


Not a Creature was Stirring

by overworkedunderwhelmed



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Happy Ending, Identity Reveal, Ladynoir | Adrien Agreste as Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng as Ladybug, Marichat | Adrien Agreste as Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Mouse Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Multimouse, Past Angst Referenced, Snake Adrien Agreste | Aspik, Special: Pire Noël | A Christmas Special, holiday fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-06
Updated: 2020-12-22
Packaged: 2021-03-09 22:20:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,531
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27923680
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/overworkedunderwhelmed/pseuds/overworkedunderwhelmed
Summary: Christmas comes but once a year, but the last holiday clearly wasn't so easy for her partner.As leader and the Guardian, Ladybug wasn't about to let that stand.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 84
Kudos: 289





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to SapphireAmethystVSCO for the beta read!

Arms crossed over her chest, Marinette’s designer eye took in every last centimeter of her balcony.

After last Christmas, she wasn’t about to take any chances.

Even if the masks and the rules made it impossible for her to press Chat Noir for details of what was troubling him, the fact that her partner had definitely been out Catalcysming parts of Paris last Christmas left her very concerned about him.

Passing by that ruined advertisement on patrols had made that fact entirely too clear.

As both the leader of the team and now the Guardian, she knew it was something she couldn’t just ignore.

Her plans had started to take shape almost as quickly as the last Christmas had ended. It had been easy enough sneaking to a small craft store to snag a little artificial Christmas Tree, a string of lights and a few dozen ornaments while the stores had them marked down for the season’s end. Marinette wasn’t entirely sure what she wanted to do with it all, but she knew she would definitely use it sooner or later. 

The holiday season was almost entirely out of her mind, after she had become the Guardian. The new and added weight upon her shoulders had been intense. It had taken a while to adjust, but watching Chat Noir continuously attempt to take some of that burden off of her shoulders -- all without her really asking -- left her wondering about him all over again.

It was entirely coincidence that she had installed a camera up there over the summer, mostly due to worries about her new Kwami charges. Even if Plagg was likely the most chaotic Kwami of the bunch, the others could still get up to plenty of mischief, especially in groups. She might not have been able to see everything, but the camera gave her more than enough to clue her in on their antics.

When Alya asked about it’s sudden appearance, she had an honest answer at the ready: watching for signs of heroes and for signs of attacks. Acting might not be her strongest suit, but she couldn’t feign the concern. Not after Glaciator, Gigantitan, and Weredad had all attacked a little too close to home. 

She had been so relieved that Alya had nodded in understanding and had pulled her into the tightest bear hug that she even let Alya catch a few choice bits of patrols to upload onto the Ladyblog.

In the end, it was seeing the delight on Chat Noir’s face on one of those patrols from one of those very Ladyblog posts that had pulled the final threads of her plan all together.

Much of her November was spent as more than a few sleepless nights painting on designs on the shiny ornaments. 

Now that December had come, the hardest part was waiting for the weather forecast to be clear for a few nights in a row.

Sneaking up a pile of macarons and a thermos of hot chocolate that would last through the whole of patrol was perhaps the easiest part of the whole plan.

Gleefully, Tikki snagged one of the macarons from the plate as Marinette stood at the edge of the balcony, taking the view all in. “You don’t have to worry, Marinette.”

“Hmm?” Dark brows rose as she adjusted one of the ornaments, to give the bright green glow of a paw print clearly visible on the center of the tiny tree.

“He’s going to love it, you know.”

“I hope so, Tikki.” Marinette smiled, cuddling up to Tikki as she took one final bite. “I really think Chat Noir needs a little more to look forward to this time of year.”

* * *

After meeting up, Ladybug made sure they headed out in separate patrols. Chat Noir pouted, but she knew she wasn't about to give in. Not when it was the only way to get him to see the decorations on his own.

Ladybug had headed back, curled up atop Montparnasse, watching the camera feed on her balcony from her yoyo.

From the moment, Chat Noir zeroed in on the tiny, shiny tree, he veered off course and landed lightly on her balcony rail.

His head tilted as he softly leapt down. For several minutes, he walked around the tree, joy clearly growing in his eyes as he took in all of the ornaments.

Grinning, Ladybug chuckled as he finally crouched down, gently batting at his own ornament like a giant cat meme personified. Thankfully, though, he was not nearly as destructive as the endless cat videos he shared in those chattier moments of patrol.

Gently smiling, Chat Noir hovered close to every single ornament...noting all of the tiny designs that she had painted on with care. 

Finally, Chat stood up, beaming as he marched over to knock on her window. 

He quickly drew back with a frown when no one answered. 

From her faraway perch, Ladybug sighed. “Ah, Chaton.” Part of her really wished she could be there, to hear from him if this was at least something to take his mind off of whatever had left him so miserable last year. But that really wasn’t possible. Not unless she cried sick off patrol. It would be too easy for her to be spotted otherwise.

Finally, Chat Noir snagged a single macaron from the pile, savoring bite after bite, as he crouched down beside the tree again, snapping a few pictures on his baton.

Some 45 minutes later, Ladybug stretched and headed home. It took him a while to look and linger after, but she didn’t dare return home. Not until he was long gone.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to hopedespite and CryptTheCryptid for beta reading!

Adrien beamed as he rushed back into the house after lunch dismissal.

As promised, Nathalie had someone set all the boxes of Christmas ornaments out in the main hall. She must still be up in her room, resting.

Rummaging through box after box, Adrien stacked a few into a small pile. With extraordinary care, he lifted the small pile into his arms and slowly walked up the stairs to his room. 

“Oh!” He stopped, peering back over the hall beside his room, smiling at the Gorilla, who loomed silently beside the bare tree in the middle of the main hall. “Could you bring up my lunch? I am going to work on decorating up here before I start downstairs later.”

The Gorilla nodded tersely, but not before Adrien caught the tiniest hint of a smile from his bodyguard.

* * *

Boxes littered the floor beside the couch, lids strewn in all directions. 

“What are you looking for, kid?”

“I’m honestly not sure…” Adrien frowned, as he dug through the tiny ornaments, neatly wrapped in multiple layers of old newpaper. “The tree over at Marinette’s got me thinking. Mom always put up this one, tiny tree. It was just for me. Well... at least, it was for the end of the stairs near my room, and nearly as tall as I was at the time. So I always assumed it was for me.” He smiled mistily. “Mom never corrected me about it.”

Plagg nodded, diving into one of the other open boxes.

Adrien continued on, putting everything back as neatly and quickly as he could before picking up a second box. “Anyways, it had a little star tree topper that lit up in red and green. It was the first thing that came to mind when I saw Marinette’s tree. Better to have it go to someone who would enjoy it than to let it sit in these dusty old boxes forever.” 

Plagg snorted. “I wondered what you were planning when you called Nathalie this morning.”

“You saw the pictures, Plagg. That must have taken her ages to do all the painting.” Adrien sank back against the couch, setting the box on his lap. “After you finished off that whole round of Camembert, I spent a while trying to come up with a thank you letter. By the time I actually liked it, I realized that writing to Marinette was probably a mistake. She is way too observant. If there was anyone who might accidentally recognize my handwriting…”

Plagg chuckled while dragging a small spool of string lights out of the box. “Well, you’re not wrong. Pigtails is pretty clever.”

Smiling softly, Adrien turned back to rifling through the box on his lap. “Father didn’t really help at all last year, so I already knew I’d have to make a little holiday cheer myself. I doubt he’d even notice if that tiny star went missing.”

He sighed. “I wanted to stick around and thank her, but even after I waited a while, she never came upstairs.”

Grinning, Plagg tangled himself into the string of lights. “Coming home to eat cheese was a _much_ better idea.”

“You may be right.” He brushed his hair out from in front of his face as he leaned over to set the box on the ground. “I overheard her talking to Alya. She was down helping her parents with a large holiday order. But at least that gave me a little more time to think of a better way to thank her.”

“Ah... there it is.”

Dropping to his knees beside the outlet, Adrien tested the small strand of lights. “Hmmm... I’ll probably need to grab an extension cord, too.”

He snagged one quickly from his desk. “With the lights up around her balcony, there should be a plug around somewhere… and I should still have more than enough to decorate the room, too.” He beamed, surveying the leftovers before the sight of Plagg caught in a tangle of lights instantly brought back his exasperation. Frowning, he kneeled down to bring order to the chaos.

“I might be able to spare some of my cheese.” Plagg grinned, giving up trying to untangle himself and instead simply phasing through the wires. “ _If_ you’d like…”

“Maybe we can make an ornament from your Camembert boxes.” Adrien laughed, shaking his head a little at the mess that Plagg had left in his wake. “But you’ve made such a mess.”

Settling down on the floor to re-wind the strand of lights, Adrien glanced down into the box... and then did a double-take. Plagg pulled the cord out of the box, unearthing a tray of felt ornaments underneath…

* * *

Early the next evening, before patrol, Chat Noir snuck over to Marinette’sbalcony super early. A peek into the window showed that she was still eating dinner with her parents...

He’d made one final stop into a shop to buy a Santa hat. Clumsy as his own skills were, he made a few careful cuts so his cat ears could peek through.

Even seeing the tree the second time, the level of effort she’d put in was amazing. The hasty photos he’d taken and sent to his phone hardly did all her hard work justice. 

Marinette had carefully and diligently detailed everything Alya had put up on the Ladyblog. 

The star went on quickly enough, but it was the other addition that merited a little more care. 

He was careful not to knock any of the ornaments loose with his claws, but he was having too much fun balancing the first tiny felt mouse up beside the star.

Of course, she’d forgotten one terribly important thing.

It had been pure luck that he’d even spotted them. It was too purrfect, he thought, grinning. Diligently, Chat scattered the rest of the package of tiny mice with Santa hats all throughout the tree to help the others out.

It may have only been the once, but Multimouse had saved the day several times over. How many copies had she spliced herself into?

It was a shame she hadn’t already posted a picture to the Ladyblog... but it was just as well. Ladybug probably would want as many details hidden as possible.

That just meant that he had to bring Ladybug to come and see it... except she was feeling under the weather. He had just one more addition that Marinette’s tree was missing. She’d even made elemental form versions for water and ice — and even their cosmic forms.

In fact, the only thing that she was missing (aside from Mulimouse), was his own time as Aspik…

It hadn’t been quite as brief as her own. Then again, he’d been the only one who retained memories of those endless months.

But it seemed a shame not to celebrate her brief stint with a Miraculous.

Marinette climbing up onto the balcony, genuinely startled to see him. 

“Chat Noir?” She murmured, looking quite pale. “What are you doing up here?’’

“About to head out to patrol…” He beamed, stepping back from the tree. “I couldn’t help but notice your lovely little tree was missing something…”

Frowning, Marinette finished climbing up to the rooftop, closing the door behind her. “I didn’t think I had forgotten anything.”

His smile faltered slightly. “I didn’t mean to imply you did. I brought along the star to say thank you for the crazy amount of time and effort you must have spent putting all of that together.”

A puff of warm air curled into the air from her exhale of relief. “The star looks lovely, Chat Noir.”

“It’s the least I could do, honestly. I mean, I can’t believe you even managed to track down details on the special powers and costumes,” he gushed. “I didn’t even think Alya had that many pictures or footage of those handful of times.”

Marinette smiled warmly. “You’d be surprised how much Alya actually holds back.”

“But you _did_ forget someone.” He smirked. “Someone important.”

Stubbornly, her arms crossed over her chest. “I got everyone with a picture in Alya’s archives.”

“I very much doubt that Alya has a picture of everything.” Chat Noir chuckled, leaning forward to gently boop her nose. “After all, she missed you.”

“Chat…” Marinette groaned. 

“At first, I was very, very tempted to send the pictures to the Ladyblog, but I’d be afraid someone would stumble onto something and Hawkmoth might catch wind.” He winced slightly, leaning back against the metal rail at the edge of her balcony. “Of course, Ladybug wouldn’t like that very much.”

“It would be risky if you did.” Marinette sighed, leaning on the rail only half a step away from him. “After I misstepped, Ladybug was adamant that I not put myself in further jeopardy. I can’t put my family or my friends at risk.”

Chat Noir smiled softly, tilting his head a little further. “I understand that. Probably better than you think. I’ll tell Ladybug about the tree so she can come and see it for herself, but no one else will hear it from me.”

“Thank you,” she whispered.

“You see,” he murmured, tapping his ring subtly. “I’ve gotten pretty good at keeping secrets.”

“Thank you, Chat Noir.”

Chat beamed. “Isn’t that my line? I’m still not over all the work you did.”

“Why me, though? I can’t be the only other one who helped.” She looked a little panicked. “Right? I mean... I _can’t_ be. There’s no way.”

He smiled a little too wide. After all, Chat Noir wasn’t supposed to know about Aspik. 

But that didn’t change the number of nights he’d woken up in a cold sweat, wondering how many more times he would have to try to save Ladybug before he could manage to get it right.

Hesitating only a moment more, he shrugged. 

But he was too late. Marinette noticed. He was sure that she did. “Chat,” she breathed, turning towards him with wide blue eyes that glowed.

Automatically, he shook his head, trying desperately to recover. “I can’t be sure. But it seems a shame not to celebrate everything you did to save the day. Every single battle is important, Marinette.”

Some just lasted a little longer than others. 

She reached her hand out to him, but he was already leaping up to balance on the rail. It was getting much too risky to stay.

“I’m afraid I can’t linger for too much longer.” 

Uncertain, Marinette’s hand fell back to her side. His excuse to leave had done little to erase the worried look on her face.

“Ladybug is sure to be waiting for me.” With a hasty salute, he leapt off her balcony, racing away. 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> With thanks to Jarl and Khanofallorcs for beta reading!

After a night of tossing and turning — and being no more able to save Marinette than he had Ladybug — Adrien wasn’t exactly in the best state of mind.

He dragged himself through school, before wearily getting tossed around Paris in an easier than usual battle on any other day.

If that wasn’t enough, he had spent the better part of the last hour plodding through the bleak and somber tunes that his piano instructor insisted upon.

At least the last piece was a little more bombastic. 

Or at least, he’d _thought_ so, until his scattered thoughts were interrupted by a groan of thunder that absolutely hadn’t come from his hands on the keys.

Eyes widening, his fingers tripped to discordant tones.

“Plagg!”

* * *

Mere minutes later, Chat Noir ran through the rain. His thoughts were entirely consumed by the poor, little tree up on Marinette’s rooftop.

He touched down on the roof with a literal splash only to find Marinette already hard at work. Her pigtails were matted down by the rain, as she hastily pulled off the ornaments one by one.

“Chat Noir?” She blinked, one hand raised to ward away the rain.

He smiled. “Need a hand?”

She nodded fervently. “Please!” 

“Open the door.”

In one swift motion, he picked up the tiny tree whole, remaining ornaments and all, extending his baton down into her room as heavy raindrops pelted the floor beneath his feet.

His eyes scanned the room. His suit would keep him safe, but she was bound to catch a cold if she stayed out in this awful storm for too long. Hastily, he snagged a black umbrella that was sitting beside her dresser and dumped a plastic bin where she kept skeins of yarn.

Pressing the paw print on the baton, it rapidly lifted him back outside. He handed the umbrella over to her and fell to his knees, gently picking up one ornament after another and setting each down in the box. 

When he looked up at her, Marinette was still staring down at the umbrella in her hands in disbelief. 

Chat Noir smiled. “Marinette?”

With a good handful of ornaments safely recovered, Chat Noir spotted the tiny star he’d brought over, cord neatly wrapped up around it. With a soft smile, he placed it gently in the base of the box.

He realized belatedly that the drops had slowed.

Only daring to glance up for a second, he kept grabbing the other glass ornaments. “Go back downstairs. I’ll bring these down when I finish...and find wherever the mice wandered off to.”

Her laughter was a warm spring breeze on this blustery day. Gleefully, she slid her free hand into her pocket. “You know that mice are clever enough to make their escape…”

* * *

Finally back down into the dryer room below, Marinette tossed a fluffy pink bath towel at Chat Noir’s head. 

The tree itself was a little worse for the wear, but would still work nearly as well as soon as it dried out. The star would also have to wait for everything to be nice and dry. If they were very lucky, it might grace the tree again before Christmas Eve.

“How are the ornaments?”

Marinette was rubbing her hair with the towel. Freshly changed into a clean and dry outfit, she used that same towel to gently wipe down each of the ornaments, determined to get everything dried out. “They should be alright. I’m just glad I held onto the containers so I have someplace for them to dry out safely. I mean, I did _try_ to seal the paint. But I didn’t exactly expect a sudden downpour this late in the year.”

Chat sighed, rubbing his own hair gently after he dried his suit off. He wasn’t about to sit down in a chair unless he was properly dried off. “It’s just a shame Ladybug didn’t get to see your tree.”

Marinette inhaled sharply. “Well, actually… she did. She came over last evening, kind of late.”

He frowned, more than a little puzzled. That wasn’t exactly like Ladybug. Sure, he had mentioned Marinette’s tree... “Did she wake you?” 

Marinette shrugged. “I was up drawing, anyways.”

“She liked it?”

Marinette smiled, half surprised by his question. “She said she did.”

He nodded, dropping onto the floor beside her chaise. “That’s good.” 

She sat down in her desk chair, glancing over at him as if uncertain. “Chat?”

“Hmm?”

Marinette hesitated, subtly swaying back and forth as she nibbled at her lower lip. “You were really upset yesterday. Are you sure you’re okay?”

Chat Noir fidgeted, suddenly feeling a little trapped. He knew all too well that Marinette didn’t like lies, but this was one he still needed to protect her. “I— I sometimes stop in and visit others, too.”

“Oh…” she murmured. “I see.” 

He smiled softly, raking his clawed gloves into his hair at the nape of his neck. She really couldn’t. There wasn’t any way. “I mean… Normally, I wouldn’t have any way of knowing if I’ve left out anyone else on your tree.”

Her jaw dropped. But she didn’t say a word.

He glanced back over, nervously as he paced her floor. Just to make sure she was still breathing. “Don’t worry. I won’t _tell_ you who he is. I don’t want to put you any more at risk.” He sighed heavily. “This guy.... he didn’t want to bother Ladybug. Not after she’d trusted him with so much… Not after he was so sure he had failed her.”

“Chat…” Marinette whispered, the shimmering sheen of tears welling in her eyes. 

He gulped, fighting back against the hard lump welling in his throat. “ _Whatever_ he had done for her, it was giving him nightmares.” Chat Noir shrugged, feigning every scrap of nonchalance he could muster. "The least I could do was lend an ear or two. The alternative… couldn’t really be pleasant for anyone."

Marinette paled. Her arms crossed over her chest, thumbs absently brushing comfortingly on her upper arms. “If he worked with you...or with Ladybug, he might be able to figure out some of your tricks.”

Chat nodded. “Some of the worst adversaries we’ve fought are among those who were trusted. At least, before…”

He went silent, but it didn’t quiet his thoughts. _Before Miracle Queen_...

Marinette set down on the chaise...looking a little defeated. “He couldn’t tell Ladybug?”

“She doesn’t always have the time to make house calls.” He smiled. “She’s the one who is protecting us all now. I just help out where I can.”

She tilted her head. “I’m sure you do more for her than that.”

“I can only hope so.”

“So, this friend,” Marinette hesitated. “Is he okay now?”

Chat tried very hard not to flinch. He _really_ did. “It took him a long, long while to get over that. He needed someone to talk to. Whatever he went through”

Suddenly, Marinette shook her head, standing up over to her desk in a frenzy of activity. As she finished pulling out painting supplies, nose wrinkling as she turned to head down stairs. “You, wait there on the chaise.” She ordered gently. “I’ll be right back.”

Chat Noir blinked, watching her open the door down from her attic room and race down the stairs. Slowly, he sank down on the chaise, not daring to move until she returned.

Marinette didn’t keep him waiting long, as she carefully balanced a cup of water and a stack of old newspapers under one arm.

“Now.” Her expression grew determined, as she softly closed the hatch door behind her and strode back to her desk. “If you can help me figure out what he looked like, then I’ll make certain that he can at least be on the tree, too.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> With thanks to marvelousmsmol for beta reading!

Marinette spun in her desk chair, anxiously watching her partner focus on recollecting all the details of his conversation with Adrien. 

Chat Noir closed his eyes, reclining on the chaise with his boots hanging off the side. His arm laid over his eyes. “I think he said...he had some kind of hood to cover his hair. It was a kind of teal and very dark blue-green that was almost black, with yellow diamonds at the top.”

She nibbled at her lip, scribbling down notes on the pink notepad. Not that writing everything down was _technically_ necessary. It might have been only a few seconds to her...at least as far as she remembered. But when it came to Adrien, she had easily committed every little detail away to memory. 

There must have been some decent mirrors or reflective glass around for Adrien to have recalled what he looked like.

Then again, Adrien has said an absurd number of times… She had been so sure that must have been an exaggeration. It couldn’t have been so high, right?

What on Earth did Adrien think he had to prove to her?

She shook her head, tapping her pencil thoughtfully on the page. It was only strengthening her resolve to do this right…

It was more impressive how much her partner remembered of his conversation, though. To be fair, she shouldn’t have been too surprised. After all, Chat Noir had the uncanny ability to remember the smallest details of her plans.

“Anything else?” 

He shook his head. “The eyes...they were something like Viperion, except the whites of his eyes were yellow.”

“Oh,” Marinette nodded, starting to select a few paints from the pile. “More like yours, then?”

“Yeah,” Chat Noir murmured, blinking as his arm fell away.

She frowned. “What about the pupils?”

He raked one claw through his hair...looking at her and then away. “I think he said they were green...and slittled like mine.”

Her eyes kept darting back to him…(then would stare off, seemingly at the random oddest spots the picture of Adrien on her desk, trying to get the angle of the chin...then double taking at Chat Noir.

“Keep talking to me.” With a smile, Marinette mixed the paints. “It helps to keep my mind focused.”

He murmured, “You’re friends with the Ladyblogger, right?”

“Close enough that she comes over to visit pretty often.” She smiled as she picked out the brushes she wanted. 

“Has she seen the tree?” 

“Yes. She might not see any more of the ornaments, though. It’s half of why I was keeping the tree upstairs.” Marinette frowned. “I didn’t want her to know.”

“Sorry.” Chat Noir seemed to grow smaller. “I didn’t mean to cause trouble.”

“I know.” Marinette smiled, sadly. “Besides, you were right. It’s best to honor _everyone_.”

* * *

Disoriented, Chat Noir rubbed his eyes. Slowly, he sat up, watching Marinette hanging several of the ornaments on the tree.

“You’re all finished?”

She nodded. “It’s drying on my desk right now. I’ll paint on some of the small yellow details tomorrow. I should be able to put it up after it dries. It won’t need the glaze unless the tree is going back outside.”

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to fall asleep.” His eyes darted up at the clock. It felt like no time at all, but he didn’t dare stay much longer. It was getting late. 

“You clearly needed the _cat nap_.” Marinette smiled mischievously. 

He stretched. That was probably more accurate than she knew. “Your room was a bit more cozy than I’d expected.”

Curious, Chat Noir stood up, walking over the desk to where the Aspik ornament was drying.

“I’m just glad I had a few extra ornaments I hadn’t used…”

Chat Noir blinked down at the tiny gold ornament. Carefully, he picked it up, balancing the painted section between his claws to not mar the still drying paint as he slowly stalked back and forth the length of her room.

Try as he might, he couldn’t remember now all of the details he had told Marinette. 

There on her desk was a short list of details sitting on the desk. But, there was no way that had been enough for her to paint a near picture perfect image of his other alter ego. Even with a few pieces still missing, the costume design was a little _too_ accurate.

He’d seen it reflected in the store windows often enough for it to have lingered in his nightmares.

He glanced back over his shoulder, taking in the soft smile on Marinette’s face as she tried to recreate the tree as it was up on her rooftop.

The only way she could have known was to have actually seen it. Second chance after second chance, _no one_ else would have been there to be remembered. Unless they were there in those few moments before he handed Sass’s bracelet back to Ladybug. 

Not even _Luka_ had seen him… At least, not while he had been _transformed_.

In fact, no one else had seen him. 

His gaze darted back over at his shoulder, gaping at her as his eyes flew wide open.

No one else but _Ladybug_.

Finally, Marinette noticed him watching. Standing up, she hastily crossed the room, blue eyes widening in growing panic. “Wait...did I mess up?”

She held her hands out for him to hand it over.

He _knew_. After all this time, all this effort to keep the masks in place. To keep her family and friends safe. _He_ knew. 

Chat raked a hand in front of his eyes. It wouldn’t be fair for him to know...and for her not to. They were partners, after all. That was how this was supposed to work, right?

“Ahhh,” she winced. “I should have slowed down and painted it more carefully.”

Spinning on her heel, Marinette sped back over to her desk. Tripping on the still damp rug, and nearly dropping the glass ornament to the floor and herself in the process.

The startled gasp had barely slipped past her lips before his hand shot out on instinct, catching her around the waist before she could fall. 

Not that he was going to let that happen. _Especially_ not now.

“Sorry…” she murmured, righting herself slowly as he held her steady. A rueful grin tugged at her lips. “I’m a little…”

“ _Madly clumsy_?” His smile softened.

“Huh?” Marinette shot a startled look up at him.

He smirked. “I thought I’ve heard it said before…”

Her eyes narrowed, peering back up into his. He steadied her… and helped her sit up without damaging the ornament...it’s a little smudged, but it was practically miraculous it lasted as well as it had.

“Chat?” Marinette asked, as she held onto the ornament. “Why are you acting so… _weird_?”

“I was just glad I could save you.” He chuckled, a little more darkly than he’d intended. “This time at least.”

Her nose wrinkled up as she stared back at him, the surest sign that the gears in her head so clearly turning. 

Marinette was now the one pacing, her gaze veering from him to the tiny ornament in her hands, again and again.

A clawed hand brushed the nape of his neck, to help soothe his nerves. It was still amazing to him how many little signs he knew so well that he had managed to miss seeing in Marinette all along.

Finally, she dared to speak, those blue eyes finally seeing right through him. “Adrien?”

Chat Noir’s grin only grew wider.

Her jaw dropped, but Marinette’s voice rose another octave. “ _Seriously_?”

“I _purr_ omise.” 

The tight smile that had pinched her features finally relaxed, as she quickly closed the distance between them, still not quite trusting the eyes she was certain saw so much. “You better not be _kitt_ ing me, _Chaton_.”

Chat Noir chuckled, blinking slowly. “I know you don’t like lies, Marinette.” 

“I don’t like having to tell them for sure.” Marinette pouted, crossing her arms over her chest.

With a smile, he mirrored the action. “I should have known, honestly. If anyone could puzzle out the impossible, it would be you, Marinette. You’ve proven it”

“ _Chat_.” She whimpered, barely daring to breathe. “How… how long have you known?” 

“Just a few minutes really.” He nodded to the ornament still in her hand. “Your artwork was a little too good. Besides, no one else was supposed to know.”

Her eyes slammed shut, groaning slightly. “I didn’t even think that my partner had ever seen Aspik. And...well, Adrien has never been interested in _me_.”

He flushed. “That’s not entirely true. You’re one of my best friends...on either side of the mask. But you made your feelings very clear you never say me as anything more than a model and friend.”

“ _When?_ ” She gasped. 

“Troublemaker, was it?” His brows furrowed. “When did Jagged do that reality show here?”

She dropped her head into her hands, letting the ornament tumble…

Chat Noir caught it mid-air. By now, he half expected it.

Of course, the half-choking shriek that sprang from her lips was more than a little bit of a surprise.

“This is a _disaster._ ”

“Is it?” He frowned anxiously, setting the ornament on the wood floor, careful to let it not roll away. He reached out, offering his hand...which she automatically accepted as she had done hundreds of times before behind the mask. “But we can fix it right? _Together_?”

“There’s nothing to fix.” She leaned forward, butting her head against his shoulder. “Not for _you_ , anyways.”

Chat Noir shook his head. “I don’t think I understand.”

“All along,” she shook her head. “All along, it was you?”

He blinked. “I’m not sure I follow.”

She inhaled, steeling herself. “It was you, Adrien.” 

His smile widened, but the emotion in his eyes was more than a little uncertain. “I’ve been here for you. Always, my Lady.”

Her eyes were a little misty, and lifted up to the ceiling, glancing up at her usual escape out into the night. “I've never been great at explaining this…”

“We’ve not always needed words, though. Right?” Reaching out, he rested his hand atop hers and gently squeezed.

After turning her hand to squeeze his right back, Marinette stood up, pulling his hand for him to follow. Standing him beside her desk, right in front of the umbrella with water droplets now pooling beside the floor.

“Do you remember this?”

Chat Noir stooped down to get a better look. “Is that…?” He beamed, feeling his cheeks grow warm. “You kept my umbrella?”

“Of course…” Marinette tucked a lock that had slipped free of her pigtail back behind her ear with that hand that wasn’t holding his. “After that first day in school with the gum, I hadn’t wanted to give you a chance. I think you can probably understand Chloé too well to see why I would think ill of you, even only for a little while. But you made the effort to show who you really were. And that...well, that made all the difference in the world.”

She sat down on the chaise, tugging a pink box out from under the seat, opening it up to reveal a few familiar pictures that had once been up on her wall when they’d fought Troublemaker. 

“I had my head so wrapped up in Adrien...that I couldn’t see through the mask to find you hiding on the other side, all along.” She cleared her throat, swallowing slowly, as he sat down beside her. “Everything about interacting with you as Chat Noir was so easy. I could try and try -- over and over again -- but with Adrien it was always impossible. I could never tell you how I felt without ruining everything.”

His hand rested on her shoulder, gently tugging her into a tight hug, savoring the simple act that battles and transformation countdowns always seemed to cut short. Only now, his heart was racing just as much. “Things are hardly ruined, Marinette.”

She was quiet for a little while. “Are you sure?”

He leaned back just enough to show his soft smile. "Between the two of us, who is the expert at destruction?"

She leaned her head against his shoulder, letting the weight and tension slip from her own. "That's a relief."

"I would do anything to protect you, you know." 

She chuckled, “I might have a _little bit of an_ idea about that…” 

His grin grew wicked. “Was that a pun about Multimouse, my Lady?”

Marinette flushed adorably. Quickly she hugged him to hide that to bury her face against his shoulder, but not before his canny eyes took notice. “Maybe.”

He sighed in utter relief, leaning his head atop hers. "But I've always been honest about my feelings. At least as much as I was able." He exhaled slowly. “I should have realized, with all those clever plans from your mind...nothing you do is nearly as straightforward.``

“You always catch on eventually, don’t you?”

His arm looped around her shoulder, rubbing her arm comfortingly. “I always try to come through when it counts.”

Surprisingly, Marinette frowned. “I still don’t like to see you get hurt either, Chaton. Sometimes, it seems like you are much too quick to throw everything away. You have no idea how many times I’ve had to watch you fade from existence.``

His hands fell limp to his sides. “But the alternative is much worse. You’re the only one who can truly turn back the clock. I mean, I _tried_.” Shaking his head, his voice grew softer. “But in the end, I just wasn’t enough.”

“Adrien,” she tapped at the bell drawing his attention to her eyes. “The only reason you couldn’t be Aspik was because _I_ really needed Chat Noir. You couldn’t do both. Not as Adrien, at least.”

“You could, though.” His shoulders slumped. “That’s how you managed to pull off Multimouse, right? Some crazy complicated plan?”

She nodded. “It worked, too. For a while at least, but it left me exhausted. Master Fu kept telling me that the powers weren’t meant to be combined like that.”

Chat Noir leaned his head in close, whispering. “I really am glad you proved him wrong.”

Marinette smiled, before her eyes dropped down and landed on his bell. Her lips pressed together in a slight grimace. “There’s more...more that I never thought was safe to tell Chat Noir.” She nibbled at her lip. “It wasn’t safe _before_...”

He pulled back at that, seeking her gaze for some sort of clue. “Guardian stuff?”

Marinette’s head tilted slightly, looking at him thoughtfully. “Not… not _exactly_.”

“Then we’ll get through it. Whatever you think we need to do, we’ll do it.” He shrugged, a silly, easy grin slipping into place. He held out his hand on his lap, extended to her. “After all, it is you and me, against the world. Right?”

Marinette smiled, slipping her hand into his, lacing their fingers together. “How about, side by side?”

He beamed back at her, squeezing her hand. “I _really_ like the sound of that.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One WIP down, I don't want to count how many left to go...


End file.
